Dr. Opp directs a research program funded by the National Institutes of Health to answer questions related to sleep-immune interactions. One unanswered fundamental question is whether the changes in sleep during infection aid in the recovery process. Conversely, chronic insufficient sleep impairs immune function. Dr. Opp's research has demonstrated that interactions among cytokines (interleukin-1) and neurotransmitters (serotonergic, GABAergic, cholinergic, hypocretinergic systems), play a role in the regulation of natural sleep and in altered sleep during infection. Current projects also focus on prior sleep history as a determinant of clinical outcome. Collectively, these studies aim to answer mechanistic questions of how it is that chronic insufficient sleep is associated with cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity.